Report: Redskins, Mike Shanahan could part ways after season

Coach Mike Shanahan said he and Redskins owner Dan Snyder will meet soon and his fate will be decided shortly after the season.

Could Mike Shanahan return for the final year of his contract in Washington? (USATSI)Redskins coach Mike Shanahan has made it clear that he has no plans to resign. That may have something to do with the $7 million he has remaining on his contract, as well as the fact that he'd like to fix the mess he's created in his four years in Washington.

"I've told you from Day 1, I love these guys," the coach said Monday. "We've been working extremely hard to put this thing together. We've had a couple of bumps, which we all know, with the salary cap [penalty]. But I'm looking forward to building this team. Like I said, I'll get the chance to sit down with [owner] Dan [Snyder] at the end of the season and we'll go from there."

As of Friday afternoon, Snyder and Shanahan hadn't yet scheduled a sit-down but Shanahan expects a decision to be made -- one way or the other -- shortly after the season.

We've joked in recent weeks that Snyder should bring Shanahan back just to avoid paying him $7 million but according to the Washington Post's Mark Maske, the coach could be out of work in the coming days.

"Several people familiar with the situation continued to say this week they believe it’s likely that the Redskins and Shanahan will part ways," Maske wrote Friday. "Some of those people said they think the scenario by which Shanahan might stay is if he and Snyder refuse to budge on financial considerations. ...

"It has been speculated that Shanahan will make significant changes to his coaching staff, perhaps with new offensive and defensive coordinators, if he does stay. So it appears almost certain the Redskins are facing widespread changes. They also have a large number of players eligible for free agency, particularly on defense."

If the Redskins lose Sunday to the Giants and the Texans beat the Titans, Washington could end up with the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft ... which now belongs to the Rams as part of the 2012 trade that allowed the 'Skins to draft Robert Griffin III.

Ryan Wilson has been an NFL writer for CBS Sports since June 2011, and he's covered five Super Bowls in that time. Ryan previously worked at AOL's FanHouse from start to finish, and Football Outsiders...
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